Page 41 of Confessions of a Highland Assassin

Ava laughed and leaned to the side to get a better look at his face. The sheepish smile on his lips melted her heart. “Are ye really?”

“Aye,” he smiled down at her. “If there was a spider in this room, ye would be the one cradling me. Have ye seen those devils? With the legs and all the eyes?”

A sudden bolt of lightning lit up the room as thunder rumbled in the distance. Ava ducked her head against his chest again and trembled slightly while closing her ears with her hands.

Boyd tightened his arms around her again and pressed his cheek against the top of her head. “I recently learned that talking tae someone, while they are in pain or scared, will distract them,” he said quietly as he rocked her back and forth again.

Ava cringed at the storm outside but did her best to focus on his voice.

“Would ye like me tae tell ye a secret?”

Ava nodded against his chest as she lowered her hands.

“I learned today that my mother was having an affair with another Laird. She was in love with him ‘afore she married my father. I was set tae marry the daughter of this other laird, and never even kent that story until now. It would have been wrong for me tae marry her.”

Ava snuggled into his chest and placed her hand over his beating heart when she felt the strain in his voice. “What happened tae yer mother?” she asked, shivering slightly.

“She took her own life after my father and the rest of the wedding party disappeared on the night ‘afore our wedding. They were never seen again.”

“Did ye love her?”

“Cora?” Boyd asked before continuing.

Ava didn't understand why but the thought of Boyd falling in love with another woman bothered her greatly. She didn’t want to think of him choosing one of the other ladies he’d asked to stay at the castle. As she lay in his arms, listening to the rhythmic beating of his heart, she began to suspect it was for reasons other than the mission.

“Aye, I did love Cora. She was a woman like nae other. But it would have been wrong for me tae marry her. I’m grateful that the wedding didnae tak’ place now…” Boyd paused briefly.

Ava could feel his muscles tense beneath her hand, and she gently stroked his chest through the shirt.

“I didnae mean that I’m grateful that they disappeared,” he confessed once he relaxed again.

“I ken what ye meant…” she whispered against his chest. “Ye would nae have wanted tae marry her, but ye didnae wish for that tae happen either. Dinnae feel bad, Boyd.”

Boyd shifted with her in his arms and drew her slightly closer to his chest before moving his head and placing his chin on top of her so that she was firmly pressed against his body. “Exactly…” he whispered back.

Ava felt her heart breaking for the man that held her tightly in his arms. He had gone through so much in the past. She felt a kinship with him. They had a shared pain in losing their parents. “I’m sorry ye had tae go through that…” Ava closed her eyes when she felt him press his lips against her hair.

Her heart beat faster as she held onto him. There was a strange fluttering in the pit of her stomach that felt good. Ava stiffened when she suddenly realized that she felt more for him than she’d care to admit.

Boyd Cameron was her target. She couldn’t fall in love with him. She shut her eyes and bit her lips against the pain of her heart breaking in her chest. Boyd Cameron was her target. But he was also a good man with a kind heart, one she was quickly falling in love with, despite her best efforts otherwise.

“Hey…” Boyd said gently as he tilted her chin up toward his face. “It’s just a storm, it will pass soon enough,” he stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers as he whispered to her. “I will stay here with ye until it passes. I promise.”

Ava found herself lost in his green eyes filled with compassion. Her heart beat even faster as he lowered his head and kissed her again. She responded in kind by slipping her arms around his neck and returning his kiss. Her lips parted slightly as he slipped his tongue into her mouth, gently caressing her with his hand on her lower back.

Boyd lifted her body in his arms and gently lay her back on the carpet, spreading the blanket beneath her. He looked down at her for a second as he positioned himself directly above her. “Ava…” he whispered her name while stroking the long strands of hair beside her face.

Her pulse quickened when he lifted her wrist to his lips and gently kissed the sensitive flesh. She didn’t know how they’d ended up in this position, but she knew that she didn’t want him to stop. She felt completely bound by his every move.

“Dae ye want me tae stop?” Boyd asked as he stared into her eyes, searching her face.

Ava shook her head as she stared up at him and smiled. “Nae, I dinnae want ye tae stop, Boyd…” She moved her hand from his and gently traced the outline of his jaw through his beard.

Boyd shifted his gaze from her face to the opening of her robe and gently traced a path with his finger between the clefts of her breasts as he pushed the fabric aside. He slowly ran his tongue over her bottom lip as he took in the sight of her flesh beneath the robe. His gentle touch sent a shiver of pleasure down her body as her flesh tingled wherever he touched.

Lowering his head, Boyd kissed her again while his hand opened her robe and gently cupped her breast before moving to the other with a gentle caress. Ava gasped when he moved his lips from her mouth to her neck, leaving a trail of kisses to her chest. His breath was hot and made her shiver with pleasure.

“Ava…” he whispered against her skin as he kissed the delicate flesh of her chest. His free hand caressed the muscles of her abdomen before moving further down.